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Curious Flat Tire on my RV-14A

PandaCub

Active Member
Well this a new one (to me, anyway):

After several months with no tire trouble, no hard landings, etc I made an uneventful landing at Bloomington, Indiana. After refueling and taking a 20-minute break at the FBO, I came out to discover my left main was flat.

The folks at KBMG were exemplary and jumped into action to help me solve the problem. We ultimately discovered the flat wasn't from a puncture or leaky valve stem but from a small rupture at the tube's sidewall - in an area roughly same shape as the tire rating stamp that's embossed onto the tire (see photos).

Anyone else ever have this happen? I'm still scratching my head.

tle7rQH


Gt9HP1h


Can't see images myself, so here are links:

https://imgur.com/a/tle7rQH

https://ibb.co/Gt9HP1h
 
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Do you know if you used talc powder when the tube was installed? We had a similar re-occurring problem on the front tire on our Amph floats. Were trying different tire pressure, different tubes until someone asked if we were using talc. I hadn't heard of it but once we applied the talc on the new tube , never had a flat since. The tube didn't have the shape yours do but it was from the tire rubbings on the tube.
 
Wear spot caused by tube movement against the interior surface of the tire.

As mentioned, caused by too low of air pressure, not enough talc, or a combination of the two.

When I install tires I coat the entire inside of the tire, and I apply a coating to the tube before inserting it in the tire.
 
Interesting...maybe the effect of stamping the sidewall (making it thinner and less rigid) caused the tire and tube to bulge in that region and present a ridge against which to rub....

maybe the manufacturer should be informed....
 
Good to know that can happen. What kind of tire and tube? I've been using talc since my motorcycle days in the 70s more out of habit than anything else, and I've never seen a tire rub through a tube. Is there perhaps a manufacturing defect inside the tire?
 
Years ago I had a recurring nose tire (Lamb) going flat for no apparent reason. Kept replacing tube and suffering same result. I finally took a close look inside the tire & found a series of barely detectable rubber injection nubs in the sidewall (similar to the ones you find on the treads of some tires). Dremel tool used to smooth them out and never had problem again. & yes, Talc powder is a must.
 
Back in my "road bike" days (bicycle), we would Talc our bottoms to prevent chaffing in the saddle area ... ;)

That same can of talc came out for any tube patching, lots of talc inside the tire and on the tube made everything go together easier and prevented those pesky pinches that would flat a tire in a second.

Old habits die hard (I don't talc my bottom any more) but I sure do talc any tube I install !!!
 
Thanks for the insights, gents. I've ordered new Michelin tubes and tires - and a large can of talcum powder!

Rxm5kN
 
That same can of talc came out for any tube patching, lots of talc inside the tire and on the tube made everything go together easier and prevented those pesky pinches that would flat a tire in a second.

Plus my tires smell baby fresh as I am using up the talc powder my wife no longer is allowed to use.
 
Talc or Talcum

Maybe worth sharing that there are products called 'baby powder' and even 'talcum powder' that do not contain talc.

Lawsuits and panic are to blame, perhaps some sloppy screening for asbestos.

So make sure the ingredient is talc and not corn starch or other binding material.
 
I had a new tire delaminate on the inside. The rubber edge wore a groove in the tube which eventually caused the tube to fail. This was over a 2 month period.
I contacted Aircraft Spruce customer service, sent them photos, got an RMA, then shipped both items to them. Spruce credited my account about half the cost of both items.
 
Just after purchasing my RV-8 I installed new tires and tubes supplied by the FBO. One went flat while taxiing within a year, the other after 7 years while in the hanger. The first one had a quarter-inch slit in the sidewall with nothing corresponding in the tire. The second one had a VERY slow pinpoint leak in the sidewall, again with nothing corresponding in the tire. Plenty of powder was used during installation. I recently installed new tubes and tires from Vans.
 
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